filed in Daily Life, featured, Myths and stereotypes
Are Single Women in Bed With Their Pets?
Singles were more likely to say a pet was a full member of the family than married people — 66 percent of single women versus 46 percent of married women, for example. And men were less likely to call their pet a full member of the household. — AP/Petside Poll, June 23, 2009
Most nights, I sleep with my cat (Lily), my dog (Rose) or both. According to an AP/Petside poll just released, I’m apparently keeping company with about a third of American pet owners. More than 50% of those surveyed have given their dogs human-like names, but since Rose and Lily are flowers, I’m not sure exactly where I fit in. I’ve never dressed my animals in outfits, as some respondents have done (that Pug on the right is NOT my dog), but once I tried to put a strand of costume pearls over my bijoodle’s head, and she ripped it off within a minute. I have lots of photos of R & L on my iPhone (though I didn’t make either of them my wallpaper, because really how could you choose). I don’t feed my animals human food as do 43% of pet owners, except for the occasional organic free-range turkey I mix into Rose’s bowl.
I don’t think of Rose and Lily as family members. I don’t sign greeting cards with their names, they are not in holiday announcements. I don’t take them on vacations. (Am I cruel?) However, I do expect them to send me Mother’s Day cards. After all, I’m only human.
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8 comments for “Are Single Women in Bed With Their Pets?”
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I wonder how this poll would fall out between couples with kids at home and couples without kids at home.
In general, I think that people without kids have time and money to give more attention to their pets.
But my dog is definitely my companion. Although she doesn’t have a halloween costume so I guess I’m a lousy parent.
I was with you right up to the last para… I very much DO consider Beez and Fritty, my two corgis, my family. Coming home from ANY event would be OHSO miserable, were they not here to greet me. I am very grateful to share my living quarters with them… that’s why I don’t subject them to costumes!
Vacations…. they are kenneled.
I am so in love with my dog, I can just sit on the couch and enjoy watching her sleep.
I have always slept with my pets even when I was married. I’ve been married 3x now and am not getting married again. Dating is also tedious. In retrospect, I would have had all my children with sperm donors instead. I am happy with my kids, pets and vibrator and have no wish to cripple my life with another usurping man. They just “take over” like some kind of weed.
I love sleeping with my dog. And she respects my side of the bed.
My pets are my kids. Maybe it’s because I never had human children, who knows, but they are my kids. I love waking up with my cats all cuddled up beside me. Makes me feel special and wanted. Of course, I’m sure they’d probably enjoy cuddling up to others too but hey… we won’t think about that! 🙂
Ever since a woman’s dog bit me in a sensitive spot for my temerity in occupying the dog’s space in bed, I’ve avoided dog women; e.g., those whose internet profiles show more pictures of the dog than the woman, who feed them from the dinner table and bring them into the conversation or talk through them, as, “PooPoo loves Beauregard’s shoes, doesn’t she, PooPoo?”
My dog, whom I mad about, is 7, and I’ve never fed her from the table. I think it’s a mistake to generalize.